‘Declan’s Law’ petition to be debated in NT parliament
NT parliament will debate nine proposals to turn the tide on crime, put forth by Declan Laverty’s mother with the backing of almost 25,000 people.
Northern Territory
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NT parliament will debate “Declan’s Law” and its nine proposals to turn the tide on crime.
The public accounts committee, which has a Labor majority, voted on Thursday to bring Samara Laverty’s petition and its near-25,000 signatures back for debate during the August sittings.
Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro tabled the petition on Tuesday, which she said “sent a clear message” to the government to take more action.
During this government’s term only one petition out of 22 tabled has returned to parliament for debate.
Ms Laverty welcomed new police “wanding” laws which passed this week as well as OC spray being given to security officers, two requests she had made in the petition launched after her son’s alleged murder.
However she was “disappointed” the Territory’s bail laws had not been strengthened.
“I absolutely recognise it’s not an easy fix and there needs to be action to address problems underlying (crime) – I recognise that could take anywhere up to a generation,” she said.
“(But) I don’t feel like it goes far enough.
“There seems to be a very big difference between the expectations of people and what courts are able and willing to do to put the rights of the victims at a higher level.”
Ms Laverty said about 7000 people had signed the petition in the last few days alone.
“I don’t want to let those people down, those people who have expressed their concern,” she said.
“I made a promise to Declan at his eulogy that I would fight for this, I won’t let his death be in vain.
“All I am is a Mum who doesn’t want this to happen to anyone else.”
Ms Finocchiaro said the Territory’s bail laws should place a presumption against bail for any violent offence – a move the CLP has unsuccessfully brought to parliament.
“Territorians waited (four) long months only to be told by Natasha Fyles she wouldn’t be making any changes to bail,” she said.
“Now the 25,000 people who have signed Samara Laverty’s petition wanting urgent action on crime including stronger bail, under Labor, they will have to wait until August to see if they will be heard or shut down again.”
While the debate may not necessarily lead to legislative change, Ms Finocchiaro said it was an important “democratic process” that allowed community sentiment to be heard.
You can add your name to the petition here.
20,000+ calls for ‘Declan’s Law’ land in parliament
The calls of more than 20,000 people pleading for the government to change a “broken system” have been heard in Territory parliament.
Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro on Tuesday tabled the petition led by Samara Laverty, the mother of 20-year-old Declan Laverty who was fatally stabbed while working at a Darwin bottleshop in March.
The petition calls for “Declan’s Law” which includes “tighter bail laws” for offenders, first-time or repeat, who are charged with aggravated assault.
Ms Laverty has also advocated for stricter weapons laws and the ability for police to trial metal wanding – two reforms the government has acted on in parliament this week.
Increased training and powers for security guards were called for as well, ahead of new laws in May that granted security guards the power to use capsicum spray.
“Declan’s brutal death has had an effect on hundreds of thousands of people, in the NT and countrywide,” Ms Laverty’s wrote on the petition.
“The current system is broken – people are not safe at work, people are not safe in their homes, people are scared to go shopping.
“Let’s change this so no other family, no other mum, dad, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, cousin and friend (ever) have to go through what our family is going through.”
Ms Finocchiaro said the government had continued to ignore all those who had called for action on crime, including the thousands who had protested outside Parliament House.
“This government is more focused on protecting criminals than they are the rights of people to be safe,” she said.
“It is a fundamental right to be safe and it is a government’s responsibility to deliver a community that is safe.
“Instead what we have is criminals with immunity across the Territory.”
The government on Tuesday introduced legislation on urgency that would grant police the power to use metal-detector wands, as well as expand the list of controlled weapons to include axes and machetes.
Violent offences involving these weapons will trigger a presumption against bail, while carrying them without a reasonable excuse could put someone in prison for two years once the laws pass.
Chief Minister Natasha Fyles said those changes were led by experts, including police, who handed down a review into the Territory’s bail and weapons laws this week.
She said the government had addressed multiple requests in the petition, which it was taking “very seriously”.
“There is no single solution that can solve these challenges overnight, that’s the hard truth – but we will never stop looking at ways we can make the Territory safer,” she said.
The petition was referred to the Labor-dominated public accounts committee, who will decide whether the matter returns to parliament for debate.
CLP, Lambley blast govt for ‘failing’ on bail reforms
MLAs from across the chamber have taken aim at the government for “failing” to reform bail laws, as politicians head into another fiery week of parliament sittings.
It comes after Chief Minister Natasha Fyles announced on Monday laws enabling police to use metal-detector wands would be passed on urgency, as well as amendments to the Weapons Control Act 2001.
She said no changes would be made to bail laws, after a four-month review into current legislation found it was already “robust and comprehensive”.
The CLP has been trying to amend laws to place a presumption against bail for violent offences involving any kind of weapon, as well as expand the definition of weapons to include anything from rocks to star pickets.
Independent Araluen MLA Robyn Lambley said it was another example of the government’s “soft on crime” approach.
“With crime spiralling out of control and our NT prisons and juvenile detention centres packed to the rafters, (the government is) now desperately trying to walk the fine line of avoiding further increases in crime and incarceration rates, while trying to keep Territorians safe,” she said.
“But with the hand-picked, government “task-force” recommending no change to NT bail laws, one can only conclude they are failing on all fronts.
“The first priority of the NT government should be to restore an acceptable level of law and order using all the legislative, policy and operational settings at their disposal.”
Namatjira MLA Bill Yan said the government’s choice to take no further action on bail laws did not meet community expectations.
“The first thing we need to do is put the rights of victims ahead of the rights of the offenders,” he said.
“Those people who are committing serious violent offences should start with a position of no bail … we’re seeing (violent offenders) getting bail, getting back out on the streets and committing more offences against the community.
“People are living fear in their own homes and going about their daily business.”
While the government will not amend bail laws, it will pass on urgency this week changes to weapons laws that will add machetes and axes to the list of controlled weapons.
That comes despite the government-led review into bail and weapons offences – sparked after the death of Darwin bottleshop worker Declan Laverty – recommending against axes being included.
However Attorney-General Chansey Paech said police experts on that task-force “advocated” for the list of controlled weapons to be expanded.
“There were some differing views on that but we value our hardworking police … we have stood with them and said this needs to be included,” he said.
Unlawfully carrying a controlled weapon can carry a penalty of up to 12 months’ imprisonment, or 24 months if the offence occurs at night.
Mr Paech also said crime should not be an issue that was left up to the NT government alone.
“We need to continue to work with the commonwealth government around a whole series of crime prevention activities,” he said.
“That is justice reinvestment, that is looking at the drivers of crime and anti-social behaviour in the Northern Territory, which we know in large parts are driven by people living in abject poverty.”
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